Ricardo congratulates Bugatti on world record achievement

In September Bugatti announced that a pre-production derivative of the Chiron achieved the accolade of being the first hyper sports car to exceed 300 mph – establishing a new TÜV-certified speed record of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h).

Le Mans winner and Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace reached the top speed of exactly 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h) on the test track at Ehra-Lessien in Lower Saxony. For the world record, a team of engineers from various disciplines – under the direction of Bugatti’s Head of Development Stefan Ellrott – prepared a pre-production Chiron derivative vehicle. In addition to aerodynamic improvements the specialists attached great importance to safety. The car and tyres were the subject of extensive prior testing, and Andy Wallace was held in place by six-point belts and protected by an additional safety cell. 
 
The production Bugatti Chiron boasts a Ricardo manufactured seven-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT). This DCT is one of the world’s most advanced, transmitting over 1500 HP and 1600 Nm of torque. It accommodates this significant power and torque increase within an extremely compact packaging envelope, while retaining and improving upon driving characteristics. To achieve this, Ricardo sought technical solutions derived from its extensive Formula 1 activities, which allow access to previously proven, highly advanced materials for construction and to innovative manufacturing processes. The Chiron’s DCT is thus weight neutral in comparison with that of its predecessor, the Veyron, while accommodating a significant increase in power and torque.
 
“On behalf of Ricardo I would like to congratulate our Bugatti colleagues on this impressive achievement,” commented Ricardo Performance Products MD Martin Starkey. “Ricardo has supplied all the DCT transmission and drivelines to Bugatti since the original Veyron, and we are proud to see a Ricardo-produced transmission used in this very special world-record-beating Chiron pre-production derivative.”
 
For the full story of Bugatti’s world record achievement see: https://www.bugatti.com/media/news/2019/bugatti-breaks-the-300-mph-barrier/